Hayes' Rabbit

I am the speller who can't draw to save my life.  I pride myself in being able to correct everyone else's grammar mistakes.  Yes, I find them all the time on your blogs.  It has always just come naturally to me.  However, I do struggle with separate and a few other words.  Adam is the artist who can't spell worth a darn.  He can replicate anything.  He can draw, paint, sculpt, you name it.  Uber talented.  It was clear at a very early age that Houston takes after him in his artistry.  Lately, Houston has been struggling with scoring a 100 on spelling tests.  (The speller in me demands perfection on spelling tests.)

Today, Hayes brought home artwork...

Perhaps he will be a speller like me.

The Lingering Party Guest

Crickets were among the attendance at Hayes' 6th birthday party.  Apparently, one of them missed the memo that the party was over!  I turned around the corner of my bed and was nearly eye to eye with a cricket on the wall.  I gasped and jumped back.

I never thought of myself as afraid of bugs or anything.  But apparently, I do have a slight fear because I was dreading having to grab the thing with a Kleenex.  And dear hubs was at work.  Huey, my resident grasshopper catcher was at school.  I knew I couldn't leave it because what if it decided to start singing at midnight?!  Fortunately, we had not noticed any serenading in the three days it's been hopping around our home inconspicuously.

By the time I returned with a Kleenex, it was no longer on the wall.  There it was on the floor.  I held my breath, scrunched my nose, turned my face, and reached in to scoop the cricket up, praying it wouldn't touch me in the process.  Once it was successfully contained, I rushed out the front door.  And breathed a huge sigh of relief that:
1. I didn't accidentally kill it while capturing it
2. It in fact did not touch me
3. It can now sing to its heart's desires.

Star Wars Army

Lots of people joke with us as to whether we are trying for a basketball team or a football team.  But really, we're just shooting for the coolest Star Wars battle ever!
May the Schwartz Be With You...

Hayes' Birthday Party

Hayes wanted a Scooby-Doo birthday.  Adam and I were both excited about the theme.  As I explained before, birthdays are a big deal at the Schwartz house.  And so are the cakes!

So far, we have always just had birthday parties with family at our house, with the occassional mom-doesn't-feel-like-cleaning-so-we'll-have-it-elsewhere.  Since this was like our umpteenth party at home, we wanted to excite things a bit.  We have a friend who owns a moonbounce company and Craig was so kind to lend us a bounce house with slide.  The kids had no idea.  Adam had it set up before they got off the bus.

My little birthday boy who on any other day would take his sweet time mosy-ing himself home, sprinted the whole way with an ear to ear grin.

They played in the bounce house for several hours while the guests arrived.  All the presents were collected on a table.

It was present time.  The kids hurried in only to find all the presents missing!

It was a mystery! 

For their first clue, they had to throw dog bones into Scooby-Doo's bowl, but in funny ways.  (From 6 ft high, off the back of Uncle Shep, without using your hands, using the forehead pancake method, using your mouth, etc. until they had collected 10 bones)

For the next clue, they had to select who they thought was the oldest person in the room and mummify them.  They chose Grandma, who is ironically the youngest grandparent (sorry Grandma!).

For their final clue, they had to correctly identify objects in a baggie without looking.  The first bag had real crickets in it to help make the rest of the items believable.

Beetle guts = Cold canned corn
Lizard tongues = Pickled ginger
Worms = Spaghetti
Dried Orange Peel = Gator Tail

Hayes put his hand in the first bag, felt the crickets, and refused to do anymore.  The boys both couldn't believe that what they were touching was actually nothing gross.

They successfully solved the missing present mystery!

Happy Birthday, Hayes-ee Bays-ee!

Why Oh Why?

Why does it seem that the bathroom accidents (more specifically the #2 ones) always happen at the most inconvenient time?  (As if they are ever convenient)  But why's it gotta be when I am elbow deep in raw chicken, Holt is screaming his head off, and Adam is mowing the lawn?

Thanks, Hawk for your impeccable timing.

Spring Pictures

I never pay attention to when the kids are taking portraits at school.  I figure, I'm not going to pay their outrageously overpriced fees for some boring pictures.  However, I laughed out loud when Houston's proof came home today.

Nothing says "Happy Spring" like a skull and crossbones!  Personally, I like the special pastel butterfly touch.

Hayes' Birthday

I always try to make birthdays super-duper special.  We see all of our children as precious gifts from the Lord and want them to know just how thankful we are that they are forever a part of our hearts.  I also want them to know just how much we truly love them.  So last night we stayed up until almost midnight decorating the house to surprise Hayes when he woke up.  As Adam and I are both sitting on the floor blowing up balloons, he says, "Why do I feel like it is Christmas Eve?"

This morning, I overslept.  As did the kiddo-s.  They almost assuredly are up and playing in their room before 7.  Not this morning.  We had hung a curtain of streamers from their door frame.  In efforts to wake them and get them out of their room, I began to lightly knock on the door.  I heard them wake up and begin to talk to each other, as I continued to knock.  However, I think I either confused them or scared them because they would not come out.  Finally, I swung open the door and burst into 'The Birthday Song'.

The rest of the morning was a mad dash trying to get them out the door and on the bus in time.  Of course they both played the "It's Hayes' Birthday So We Should Stay Home From School Card".  No luck.

I surprised him with lunch at school.  He and Hawkins enjoyed their Happy Meals and then we passed out sprinkle brownies to all of his classmates.  Holt was just along for the ride and was so sweet the entire time.

Hayes got to select where we would go out to eat for dinner.  He picked T.G.I. Fridays.  The staff came out and sang to him.  You could hear them coming and clapping from back in the kitchen.  As they approached the table and Hayes realized they were singing to him, he was completely beside himself!  I sure wish I had the forethought to have brought my camera because his expression was priceless!  Ear to ear grin!

We finished the birthday off with a big helping of dirt cake with big fat gummy worms.

And oh yeah, we usually let our kids open their gifts from us on their birthday.  Since I was late in doing my Amazon shopping, he didn't have any presents to open.  Shame on mom.  Poor kid.  He'll just have to wait until his party (in 3 days = half a lifetime for a 6 year old birthday boy).